Automobile-lamp



0. M. OTIE.

AUTOMOBILE LAMP.

APPLICAIION FILED uma 1918.

1,809,446. Patented July 6, 12.119.

O. M. OTTE.

AUTOMOBILE LAMP.

mwucmmn FILED JAN. a. 1918.

Patented July 8, 1919.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2 ww dfimmw UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

OTHO M. OTTE, 0F JAMESTOWN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO RAYDEX MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF BRACKENRIDGE, PENNSYLVANIA.

AUTOMOBILE-LAMP.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 8, 1919.

Application filed January 8, 1918. Serial No. 209,905.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, OTHO M. Own, a citizen of the United States, residing at the city of Jamestown, in the county of Chautauqua and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automobile-Lamps, of which the following, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification.

The invention relates to lamps for vehicles and similar uses in which mechanism is provided to project and control the light; and the object of the improvement is to provide a lamp of the type called a spot light with a parabolic shaped reflector and to provide within said reflector a vision intercepting screen which at the same time acts as a reflector throwing a spot of light shaped by the arrangement of said vision protecting screen according as the spaced screen and reflector plates are horizontal or vertical or both horizontal and vertical; and the invention consists in the novel features and combinations hereinafter set forth and claimed.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a front elevation of the improved spot light with the spaced screen plates in the horizontal position; and Fig. 2 is a sectional view at line 22 in Fig. 1 SllOWiIlg the construction and arrangement of the different parts of the lamp and also showing the manner of mounting said lamp so that it may be given a quarter turn; and Fig. 3 is an end view of the mounting showing the quarter turn opening in which the stem of the lamp is mounted. Fi 4 is a front elevation of the spot light wlth the screen-reflector plates turned in the vertical position; and Fig. 5 is a sectional view at line 5-5 in Fig. 4 showing the construction and arrangement of the parts with the screen plates vertical and the difference in the reflected rays of light. Fig. 6 is a front elevation of the spot light with the double screen-reflector with the vertical and horizontal plates placed one behind the other so that they cross one another at right angles forming rectangular openings for the light. Fig. 7 is a sectional view at the line 7-7 of Fig. 6. Fig. 8 is a plan diagran'l of the front of an automobile with a spot light thereon with the screen-reflector plates turned horizontally as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, thereby throwing a broad elliptical shaped light spot crosswise of the roadway, the shadow lines being shown in dotted line each side of the light shaft; and Fig. 9 is a similar plan diagram with the screen-reflector plates turned vertically as shown in Figs. 1 and 5, throwin an elliptical shaped light spot on the roadway lengthwise thereof, the shadow lines being shown each side of the light shaft; and Fig. 10 is a similar diagrammatic view of the spot light with the reflector-screen having the double plates, that is, both horizontal and vertical, as shown in Figs. 6 and 7, the shadow lines being shown each side of the light shaft.

Like characters of reference refer to corresponding parts in the several views.

The numeral 10 designates the spot light or lamp which is constructed with the parabolic shaped outer casing 11 which is held in spaced relation to the parabolic reflector 12 by the light post 13 at the center of the parabolic reflector and casing and the outwardly turned flange 14 around the outer rim of the reflector 12 which braces against the inner side of the casing 11 thereby holding the outer rim of the parabolic reflector 12 and casing 11 firmly in position.

A glass 15 is provided to cover the front of the parabolic reflector which is held in place by the rim 16 attached to the casing 11 by spaced screws 17. A groove 18 is provided in the flange rim 14 to receive therein a suitable packing 19 against which the supporting rim 20 for the screen-reflector 21 rests. The rim 20 also has a groove and packing 22 therein which extends around said rim against which the glass 15 rests, all the parts being held in their proper relation to one another by means of the rim 16.

The lamp 10 is mounted on a stem 23 which preferably has the thread 24 cut thereon to screw into a sleeve 25 and has the sidewise projecting pin 26 which extends outward in the quarter turn opening 27 in the sleeve 25 which quarter turn opening 27 permits the movement of the pin 26 and stem 24 a quarters turn.

The vision protecting screen and reflector 12 usually consists of the spaced thin sheet metal plate reflector-screens 28 which are preferably butt welded within the supporting rim 20, said rim 2() being shaped to fit within the outer portion of the parabolic reflector 12 adjacent the inner side of the glass 15. The plates 28 are of suflicient width to intercept the vision of the passerby or bystander yet so thin as not to intercept the parallel rays of light reflected from the parabolic reflector 12 as shown in dotted line in the sectional views. The direct rays of light striking upon the polished or coated surfaces of the plates or strips 28 are reflected toward a focusing point according to the position of the light 29 in its rela tions to said plates or strips 28. The position of the light 29, which is preferably an electric bulb light, may be adjusted in the post 13 so as to correctly focus the direct rays of light as reflected by the reflectorscreen 21 and at the same time reflect the rays of light from the parabolic reflector 12 in parallel alinement.

In the sectional views shown in Figs. 2, 5 and 7, the field of the direct rays of light reflected from the screen-reflector plates or strips 28 isshown by the dotted line A, and the parallel rays from the parabolic reflector 12 shown by the dotted line B, thereby diagraming the focusing of the rays reflected by the screen-reflector and the paralleling of the rays from the parabolic reflector, also showing the narrow vertical projection and broad horizontal projection of the reflected rays when the plates 28 are turned in the horizontal position shown in Figs. 1 and 2, and the broad vertical projection and narrow horizontal projection when the plates 28 are turned as shown in Figs. 4 and 5. Ihese conditions are more perfectly brought out in Figs. 8 and 9, Fig. 8 diagraming the shape of the light spot on the roadway from the horizontally turned screen-reflector plates 28, and Fig. 9 showing the light spot on the roadway from the reoaeae Vertically turned plates. These two are combined in the double screen-reflector shown in Figs. 6 and 7 in which both the horizontal and vertical plates are shown one behind the other, which screen is designated by the numeral 30 and provides rcc tangular screen reflecting tubes which throw a substantially round light spot though it is usually slightly oblong as shown in Fig. 10.

It is well understood that there is a certain amount of shadow light from all such bright light shafts, which shadow light is indicated by the dotted lines 31 in Figs. 8, 9 and 10. The main shaft of light, howey'er, is the one which it is endeavored to control and to protect from the vision of the passerby or bystander. A central plate 32 is preferably placed over the central shaft of light in front of the light 29 to protect the vision of the passerby or bystander from said central direct shaft.

I claim as new:

In an automobile lamp, a pair of superposed screens arranged in front of the reflector, and each having similar spaced slats, and means to mount the screens whereby each may be adjusted independent of the other so as to enable the slats to be brought into register or to be disposed so as to relatively intersect at any desired angle so as to obtain various lighting areas.

In testimony whereof I have aflixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

OTHO M. OTTE.

Witnesses:

H. O. SANDBERG, I. E. NORDSTROM. 

